Criminal defence · Sydney & NSW

Criminal Defence Lawyers in Sydney

Led by a Law Society Accredited Specialist in criminal law.
When your liberty, licence or career is at stake, this is who you want on your side of the table.

Free, confidential first conversation. No obligation.

4.6

★★★★★

218 Google reviews

Accredited Specialist, Criminal Law
Law Society of NSW

Recommended criminal defence firm Doyle’s Guide, Sydney 2026

What's happening right now?

Pick the closest, or just call us.

URGENT

Someone's been
arrested or refused bail

A partner, child or colleague is being held. We can move quickly on a release application.

ACT TODAY

Police want an interview

You've been contacted or told to attend a station. Call before you say anything.

COURT DATE SET

I've been charged

You're out on bail, or have a court attendance notice and a first court date.

CONFIDENTIAL

I'm under investigation

A regulator or inquiry has made contact. Nothing is charged yet.

Sought for comment by

Why it matters who defends you

Where the right lawyer changes the outcome

Most people meet the criminal justice system once. The difference between a good result and a life-changing one is usually made early, often before a charge is even laid.

What we work toward

No charge laid

Released on bail

Evidence excluded

Charge withdrawn or reduced

No conviction recorded

The lowest available penalty

The earlier we're involved, the more we can do.

A free, confidential first conversation. Nothing you tell us goes further.

Before you're charged

Where a lawyer has the most leverage

Protecting you in the police interview

More people are charged because of what they said in an interview than anything else in the brief. An explanation given in good faith at 2am can become the strongest part of the prosecution case.

We can deal with the investigating officers for you, advise whether to take part at all, and attend with you if you do. Sometimes the result is that no charge is laid.

Getting you out on bail, even after a refusal

Custody limits your ability to instruct a lawyer, puts your job and housing at risk, and applies pressure toward a quick plea. A prepared release application answers the court’s actual concerns with a concrete proposal.

Once you're charged

Before any hearing

Getting improperly obtained evidence excluded

A charge is not a fact. We go through the served material line by line: how a search was authorised, whether an identification is reliable, what the CCTV genuinely shows. Evidence obtained improperly can be excluded, and a case can fall apart when a central piece of it is taken out.

Having the charge withdrawn or reduced

A great deal of criminal work is resolved in correspondence, not in a witness box. Where the evidence supports it, we make representations to have a charge withdrawn, or reduced to one carrying a materially different penalty and a different mark on your record.

At court

Hearing, sentence or appeal

Avoiding a conviction on your record

For many clients the charge itself is survivable and the conviction is not. A recorded conviction can reach your:

employment
professional registration
security or working with children clearance
visa and your ability to travel

Where the law allows it, we build the case for the court to deal with the matter without recording one.

Arguing for the lowest available penalty

If a matter is going to result in a penalty, this is where the gap between having representation and not having it is widest. The same facts produce very different outcomes depending on what the court is shown about the person in front of it.

Fighting the charge at a hearing or trial

When a matter has to be fought, it is fought on preparation. Cross-examination that goes anywhere is built weeks earlier. We appear in the Local, District and Supreme Courts, and brief counsel where a matter calls for it.

Appealing a conviction or sentence

A result in the Local Court is not always the end of it. Severity and conviction appeals both carry strict time limits, so if you are unhappy with an outcome, get advice quickly. We also act for clients who were represented by someone else the first time.

Results

Outcomes from our own case files

Every matter turns on its own facts. These are published examples of the results criminal defence work is aimed at.

No conviction recorded

Domestic violence charge downgraded, then dismissed under section 10

The charge was reduced and the court dealt with the matter without recording a conviction.

Withdrawn

Assault charge withdrawn after police amended the facts

Bail granted

Bail granted on NSW's new coercive control charge

4.6

★★★★★

218 Google reviews

Review of Elliot Rowe, Senior Associate

“I could not recommend Elliot highly enough. He is calm and considered in his approach, but is firm and assertive during any and all representations.”

James Masella · Google review

Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes. Every matter is assessed on its own facts.

Peter O’Brien

Principal Solicitor & founder

Who will be looking at your case

Led by Peter O'Brien

Peter has appeared in royal commissions, commissions of inquiry and ICAC hearings throughout his career: the rooms where the state brings its full weight to bear. That is the experience we bring when the case against you is serious.

More than twenty-five years acting for people on the wrong end of the state's attention
Appearances in the Local, District and Supreme Courts, and instructing in appeals to the High Court of Australia
Acted for survivors before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, then ran their civil claims
Regularly sought for comment by national media on criminal justice and police accountability

Working with Peter on your matter

Elliot Rowe

Senior Associate

Wilson Tighe

Senior Associate

Sidnie Sarang

Criminal Solicitor

Brooke Collins

Civil & Criminal Solicitor

Supported by Yasmin Maneshi, Criminal Paralegal

Charges we defend

Criminal charges and investigations we act on

Grouped by what’s at stake rather than alphabetically, so you can find your situation quickly. Every item links to a page on that charge.

Liberty at stake

Serious and indictable

Usually in the District or Supreme Court.

Licence at stake

Traffic and driving

From licence loss to serious injury matters.

Career at stake

Regulatory and professional

Licence and reputation, often before any charge.

Time critical

Urgent and procedural

Often the first call people make.

Were the police in the wrong? If you were falsely arrested, assaulted or wrongly detained, our civil team acts for people suing the police and for false arrest.

Not sure how serious your charge is?

Tell us what has happened and we’ll tell you plainly what you’re facing, and what can realistically be done about it. Free, confidential, no obligation.

What happens when you call

From your first call to the result

Same day

You tell us what has happened

A free, confidential conversation with a criminal lawyer, not an intake script.

Within 24 hours

We tell you where you stand

What the charge means, the realistic range of outcomes, and what has to happen now.

Before you commit

You get the cost in writing

A costs agreement setting out scope and fees. Nothing proceeds until you accept it.

From there

We go after the best result

We obtain the brief, press where the case is weak, and work toward the outcome it supports.

How our fees work

Criminal matters vary enormously in what they require, so rather than quote a figure that may have nothing to do with your situation, here is how we structure fees. You’ll have the basis of our fees, and an estimate, in writing before any work begins.

Fixed fees where the scope is knowable

For a defined piece of work, such as a plea in the Local Court or a single application, we quote a fixed fee up front, so you know the number before you decide anything.

Staged fees where it is not

Contested and indictable matters move in stages. We charge stage by stage, so you are never asked to fund a trial before we know whether there will be one.

What actually drives the cost

Which court the matter is in, whether it is contested or a plea, the size of the brief, whether experts or counsel are needed, and how early we are brought in. Early involvement usually costs less overall.

No surprises, in writing

You receive a costs agreement setting out the basis of our charges and an estimate before any work begins. Payment plans can be discussed.

Free resources

Understand the law that applies to you

Our fact sheets explain the law, the procedure and the penalties in plain English, written and kept current by our own solicitors.

Bail and custody

Police powers

Charges and penalties

Court and outcomes

Working with us

Questions people ask before they engage us

These are about us and getting started. For questions about the law itself, the fact sheets above go into more depth.

Not answered here?

Ask us directly. The first conversation is free and nothing you say goes further.

What will it cost to defend my charge?

It depends on which court your matter is in, whether you are pleading or contesting, how large the brief is, and whether counsel or expert evidence is needed. We will give you a written costs agreement with an estimate before any work starts, and for defined pieces of work we quote a fixed fee.

Who will actually represent me, Peter or another solicitor?

Peter leads the firm's most serious matters personally. Other matters are run by named senior solicitors in the criminal team, with Peter's oversight. We will tell you who is running your file, and who will appear for you in court, before you engage us rather than after.

How quickly can you get my matter before a court?

For a release application where someone is in custody, we work to the earliest available date, and in the right circumstances that can be the next sitting day. Other applications depend on the court's list. When you call we will tell you what is realistically achievable rather than what sounds best.

Do I need a barrister as well as a solicitor?

Not usually in the Local Court, where we appear for you ourselves. For indictable matters, trials and some appeals, briefing counsel is often the right call, and we will explain why, what it adds and what it costs before anything is committed.

What do you need from me to get started?

Any court attendance notice, charge sheet, bail papers or correspondence from police or a regulator, and your next court date if you have one. If you do not have any documents yet, call anyway. We can often work out what stage you are at from what you tell us.

Do you act outside Sydney, or in other states?

Our practice is based in Sydney and most of our work is in NSW courts. We do act in matters elsewhere in Australia where the seriousness of the case warrants it. Tell us where your matter is listed and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for it.

Is the first consultation really free, and is it confidential?

Yes. The initial consultation is free and without obligation. It exists to assess your situation and discuss your options. Everything you tell us is confidential, including if you decide not to engage us.

A clearer way forward

You don't have to work it out alone.

Whatever has brought you here, we’re ready to listen. Tell us a little about your situation and we’ll work out the next step together.

Free initial consultation

A conversation, without the obligation.

People you can talk to.

Peter & Kira O’Brien Our team

Prefer to speak with us?

Let's start a conversation.

Leave your details and our team will be in touch.

First Name

Last Name

Phone Number

Type of Legal Matter

Additional Details ( Optional )

Not sure where to start? Just tell us what you need help with.

Confidential enquiry · No obligation